Bulldogs settle for 2-2 tie
With less than a minute remaining, Nick Presti went one-on-one in front of the goal with the Estero keeper and got his head on the ball first as Ida Baker escaped with a 2-2 tie Tuesday night
It was Presti’s second goal of the second half, bringing the Bulldogs back from their second one-goal deficit in the District 4A-11 contest.
The Bulldogs applied all the offensive pressure throughout, enjoying a 32-5 advantage in shots on goal.
“I don’t remember a game that we dominated so much and not come away with a win,” said Baker coach Mick Whitewood. “It was ridiculous, but what can you do?”
The Wildcats managed to cross midfield a number of times, but had trouble getting within scoring range.
The Bulldogs were so dominant, there was an expectation they would score at any moment. On the other hand, one got a sense that a fluke goal might go against them.
That’s exactly what happened with just under 11 minutes left in the first half, a long kick in the center of the field found forward Ricky Lopez, who tapped a high-bouncing ball past Baker goalkeeper Jose Zuniga, who came out to field it, but the ball slithered into the goal as two Baker defenders tried to chase it down.
After the goal, the Bulldogs resumed their attack with a bit more ferver. They got two two-shot opportunities in the final eight minutes of the first half.
“We picked it up and did everything right with the ball,” said Whitewood. “We hit the post, hit the crossbar, just couldn’t get it go to in the net.”
Presti hit the left post from the left wing and Jonathan Alvarez retrieved the ball and fired one over the crossbar. Presti fired three more salvos before intermission, including a header in front of the goal off a corner kick.
That’s the way the night went for the Bulldogs (2-1-1, 1-0-1 district), who visit Cypress Lake Thursday.